All journalism majors at OU must complete an internship to graduate. According to the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, internships must be at least 200 hours in the student’s field of study and pre-approved by the student’s adviser. Though the task may seem straightforward, there are many obstacles to completing the internship requirement, and not due to lack of effort.
First, internship opportunities often require applicants to be a rising junior or senior. According to East Carolina University, “Students have valuable contributions to offer in exchange for the learning opportunity” when they are later in their education. Though there is merit to that application requirement, it also narrows the opportunities available to sophomores, and even passionate freshmen.
Some internship opportunities, such as short event-based opportunities, may fail to meet the 200-hour requirement for the School of Journalism. According to the University of Arizona Eller College of Management, short internships known as ‘’externships” usually range between “a day to about eight weeks.”
Though these opportunities are shorter than the standard internship experience, they can be equally immersive and educational. The minimum time requirement for the internship further reduces the pre-professional opportunities journalism students can choose to enhance their education.
Requiring an internship also minimizes the importance of other pre-professional opportunities, such as shadowing journalists and independent volunteer work for media organizations. According to the University of Cambridge, shadowing has multiple benefits, including networking and first-hand insight into different careers or fields. Journalism students may have to prioritize applying for and completing an internship and turn down other equally important pre-professional experiences.
As hinted above, the internship pool has become dauntingly competitive. For context, RippleMatchis a Generation Z-focused recruitment automation platform. According to a RippleMatch Pulse survey of 3,000 Gen Z candidates, 57% said they were unconfident in securing an internship or job that met their standards in May 2023. In the previous fall, only 15% were unconfident.
That sudden increase could be due to “economic downturn and widespread layoffs,” according to RippleMatch. RippleMatch also found that 49% of the candidates submitted more than 50 applications between Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.
The applicant pool is more competitive, but the application process is also more disheartening. The automation of the process, from digital applications to resume scanners, makes the process cold and impersonal.
In such a competitive space, employers and talent outreach have to take more time to review and contact applicants. That would be all right, except applicants may never get a decision from an organization. I have submitted multiple applications that I never received answers to.
Beyond the application process, there is a lack of paid internship opportunities, which can cause distress for financially disadvantaged students. According to the Harvard Business Review, 43% of internships at for-profit organizations are unpaid.
Furthermore, students who accept unpaid positions may be worse off than paid interns. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, paid interns receive “more job offers and garner higher starting salaries” than unpaid interns.
By requiring a 200-hour internship experience for graduation, students may have to choose between an unpaid internship and paid employment to cover tuition and other expenses. Some students may even be forced to do both, leading to more financial distress and burnout. Those issues may also be worsened for students who have caregiving responsibilities at home to balance with their education.
Students face barriers to completing the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism’s internship requirement, and many of those barriers are out of students’ control. If the requirement were broadened, altered or removed altogether, students may enjoy more diversified opportunities without their graduations on the line.
Taylor Orcutt is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Taylor know by tweeting her @TaylorOrcutt.
